Estes Kefauver: A Biography
Condition: SECONDHAND
This is a secondhand book. The jacket image is a photograph of the exact copy we have in stock. This image shows the condition of this book. Further condition remarks are below.
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
A meticulously researched political biography, this work chronicles the life and career of Estes Kefauver, the Tennessee senator who became one of mid-twentieth-century America's most compelling and controversial public figures. Fontenay traces Kefauver's rise from small-town Southern roots to national prominence, detailing his landmark 1950–51 Senate crime investigations that captivated a television audience of millions and exposed the deep ties between organized crime and local governments across the country. The biography presents a nuanced portrait of a politician who defied the segregationist orthodoxy of his Southern Democratic colleagues, twice pursued the presidency, and ultimately secured his place in history as Adlai Stevenson's running mate in 1956. Written with the authority of a journalist who knew Kefauver personally, Fontenay illustrates both the senator's genuine idealism and the political contradictions that defined his era. The result is an authoritative and engaging account of a largely forgotten giant of American liberalism whose legacy continues to resonate in debates over crime, civil rights, and the power of televised politics.
Author: Charles L. Fontenay
Format: Hardback
Published: 1980, The University of Tennessee Press, Knoxville
Genre: Biography
Condition remarks:
Book: Good
Jacket: Worn/faded, no tears
Pages: Good
Markings: No markings
A meticulously researched political biography, this work chronicles the life and career of Estes Kefauver, the Tennessee senator who became one of mid-twentieth-century America's most compelling and controversial public figures. Fontenay traces Kefauver's rise from small-town Southern roots to national prominence, detailing his landmark 1950–51 Senate crime investigations that captivated a television audience of millions and exposed the deep ties between organized crime and local governments across the country. The biography presents a nuanced portrait of a politician who defied the segregationist orthodoxy of his Southern Democratic colleagues, twice pursued the presidency, and ultimately secured his place in history as Adlai Stevenson's running mate in 1956. Written with the authority of a journalist who knew Kefauver personally, Fontenay illustrates both the senator's genuine idealism and the political contradictions that defined his era. The result is an authoritative and engaging account of a largely forgotten giant of American liberalism whose legacy continues to resonate in debates over crime, civil rights, and the power of televised politics.